Abstract

MALARIA, SCIENCE AND SOCIETY IN FERRARA FROM THE MIDDLE AGES TO THE NINETEENTH CENTURY -/- In this paper it is outlined the history of malaria in Ferrara and its suburbs, from ancient times up to the nineteenth century. It is considered the issue of malaria in Roman times, during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the discovery of quinine, the first scientific studies made at the University of Ferrara, the first analysis about the causes and the spread of the disease. The conditions of backwardness of Ferrara society are considered, especially of the people living in the countryside, and the most common medical knowledge. Statistics about the spread of malaria after the unification of Italy are resumed. Problems of environmental recovery are taken into account. Scientific progresses due to positivism and to the doctors who faced the first anti-malarial campaigns, bringing their testimonies. The essay ends up with the reorganization of public health and places of health care in modern hospitals all over the province of Ferrara.